Hawaii Pacific annual meeting reflects its rich heritage
By Karen L. Willoughby
HONOLULU — Focusing on pastors and their wives pays dividends by strengthening the loosely woven fabric of the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention (HPBC), leaders at its recent annual meeting said.
Hawaii-Pacific Southern Baptists met Nov. 7-8 at the state convention’s entity, Hawaii Baptist Academy, where 1,100 students from kindergarten through 12th grade study. The school celebrated its 75th anniversary during the annual meeting.
The multinational convention also celebrated the 75th anniversary of its Pu’u Kahea Camp and Conference Center.
“The highlight of our year has been our comprehensive ministry to pastors and their wives, which included a refreshing pastors retreat in May, monthly online Pastor Forums, regular Zoom connections for pastors’ wives, and culminating in a heartwarming Pastors and Wives Appreciation Dinner on November 6, just before our annual meeting,” Executive Director Craig Webb told Baptist Press.
The Pastors and Wives gathering took place at the Japanese Cultural Center in Honolulu.
“The most remarkable aspect of our annual meeting was the beautiful cultural diversity on display, as pastors from the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention read Scripture and prayed in Japanese, Korean, Hawaiian, Samoan and English,” Webb said. “This vibrant expression of unity in Christ reflects our rich heritage and strengthens our commitment to serving together as one body in faith.”
The theme for the 82nd annual meeting — “Contending Together,” with Phil. 1:27-28 as its scriptural base: “Standing firm in one spirit, in one accord, for the faith of the gospel” — was both an acknowledgment of what’s already happening and a challenge for an even greater commitment to the task at hand, Webb said.
“This intentional focus on supporting and nurturing our pastoral families has strengthened the fabric of our convention, fostering deeper connections and renewed vigor for ministry across our diverse island communities,” the executive director continued.
Reports
According to his records, Credentials Committee Chairman Pastor Jamie McElrath of Olivet Baptist Church in Oahu reported 69 guests and 200 messengers from 52 of Hawaii Pacific’s 139 churches registered, including messengers from Kauai, Lanai, Oahu, Maui and Hawaii, plus Guam, Japan, the Philippines, Samoa, South Korea and Thailand.
The Hawaii Pacific convention added one new church in 2024, and at least three new Send Network church planters are anticipated in 2025, reported Shane Critzer, Send Network Coastal West Region director.
“This year’s annual meeting of the HPBC was a crucial reminder of our cooperative efforts in serving Jesus Christ and the joy to contend together for the faith of the gospel,” Brian Frable, pastor of Kona Baptist Church in Kailua-Kona and HPBC president told Baptist Press. “I am deeply humbled to see all that God is accomplishing in our churches through the extensive gospel ministry that occurs all across the Pacific for His glory.”
Maui Fire update
The Maui Fire Caring Ministry started in June with a team of 13 volunteers representing Valley Isle Fellowship, Kahului Union Church and Kahului Baptist Church, following up with and connecting fire victims with local churches.
After orientation and training, volunteers connect with fire victims, contacting (as of mid-June) more than 150 people through the CARE strategy: Care like Christ, Ask open-ended questions, Recognize this is an ongoing process, and Encourage and end each call with hope.
Volunteers aim to listen to the unique stories and needs of everyone they call, often ending prayerfully and welcoming callbacks, according to an article in HPBC’s Connector magazine.
Volunteers Pete and Donna Beal consider the ministry in phase 1, developing a database of available resources and training materials, identifying needs and establishing a committed volunteer team. They have utilized several resources from experts in the field of trauma care, as well as input from experts within HPBC. They have also acquired funding from Maui County Baptist Association and HPBC for six to eight months, and local churches have indicated willingness to financially assist fire victims. They are actively looking to expand the volunteer team to better meet the needs of the hundreds affected by the Maui fires.
If you want to volunteer or partner with the Maui Fire Caring Ministry, please contact [email protected].
HPBC business
Business of the annual meeting included passage of five resolutions, the 2025 budget and election of officers.
Besides resolutions expressing appreciation for the annual meeting host, HPBC’s board and officers, and those Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) entities who supported and participated in the annual meeting, messengers approved two other significant resolutions.
The messengers unanimously approved a resolution celebrating and committing to the Cooperative Program (CP) including a statement, “That we commit ourselves to celebrating and promoting the Cooperative Program within our churches, associations, and entities in its one-hundredth year.”
Messengers also unanimously approved a resolution to adopt the SBC’s abuse prevention ministry toolkit as a recommended resource for all Hawaii Pacific Baptist churches and a commitment to “stand united in member churches’ resolve to protect the vulnerable, to support survivors of abuse, and to uphold the highest standards of safety and care in our churches.”
The 2025 budget that passed included $1,100,000 in anticipated Cooperative Program giving from churches, plus $62,000 in other fees and interest. The trimmed operations budget is $1,128,715, including 20% of churches’ CP gifts, or about $222,000, leaving the convention for national and international SBC missions endeavors. The messengers approved a deficit of $178,715, which is to be covered by reserves. The anticipated expenses are lower than last year, while the national CP allocation remains the same.
“We’ve built a lot of trust over the last year,” Webb told Baptist Press. “We’ve waited rather than filling ministry areas. We’ve continued to be good stewards of the money entrusted to us. I think over the next year we’ll end up with a budget that balances.”
Brian Frable, pastor of Kona Baptist Church on Hawaii Island, was reelected president; Shane Tanigawa, pastor of University Avenue Baptist Church on Oahu, was elected first vice president; and Larry Hale, pastor of Eleele Baptist Church on Kauai, was elected second vice president. A recording secretary is to be elected by the Executive Board.
The 83rd annual meeting of the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention is set for Nov. 20-21, 2025, at the Outrigger Kona Resort in Kailua-Kona, on the island of Hawaii.
West Virginia celebrates ‘family on mission’ impact
By Karen L. Willoughby
BRIDGEPORT, W. Va. — For the sixth year in a row, West Virginia Southern Baptists increased their Cooperative Program giving that leaves the state by at least half a percentage point, to 43.5% for 2025.
Last year it was 43%, up from 42% in 2022. And 82% of West Virginia churches gave to missions through the Cooperative Program — 168 churches out of the state convention’s 212 churches.
“As West Virginia Southern Baptists have rallied around our mission of making Jesus known, in and through West Virginia, we have seen an increasing number of our churches engaging in evangelism and missions though praying, going and giving,” Executive Director Eric Ramsey told Baptist Press.
“This is evidenced by 82% of West Virginia Southern Baptist churches now participating in Cooperative Program giving. The Cooperative Program is a practical, tangible measurable for missional unity.”
The West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists (WVCSB) met Nov. 7-8 at Simpson Creek Baptist Church, planted in 1770 as the “oldest Protestant church west of the Allegheny Mountains.”
WVCSB’s 54th annual meeting used “In + Through” again this year as its theme, referring to its stated desire to, over a three-year period, becoming a “family on mission,” focusing on increased cooperation among churches and a renewed commitment to “making Jesus known in and through West Virginia,” Communications Director Cleve Persinger told Baptist Press.
Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Executive Committee, spoke during the pastors’ conference that preceded West Virginia’s annual meeting, and during the annual meeting.
“There is no earthly explanation for our movement,” Iorg told the messengers, referring to the SBC’s thrust across the nation and throughout the world. “It [the activity] is spiritual both in origin and sustaining power.
“These are not the work of our hands but are instead the result of God’s favor resting on a people who have cooperated together for two centuries to get His work done,” Iorg continued. He challenged his listeners to embrace their role in the greater Southern Baptist family on mission.
GuideStone Financial Resources, the International Mission Board (IMB) and the North American Mission Board (NAMB) all made presentations of their SBC entities.
“This year has been one of growth and maturity for our WVCSB family of churches,” Ramsey said in his report. “We’ve seen it in our numbers and in how we think and act as a family on mission.
“New churches are being planted and many churches are celebrating their highest number of baptisms in years,” Ramsey continued. “More young families and children are attending and many of our statewide events have sold out.”
Since 2020, the Spanish-speaking population in West Virginia has increased by 167% and is expected to double in three years, Ramsey said. Send West Virginia and the state convention are working together in responding to the need to plant churches for this language group.
Annual meeting attendees included 51 guests and 156 messengers from 67 of West Virginia’s 212 churches. The business of the state convention consisted of a resolution expressing gratitude for hospitality to Simpson Creek Baptist Church and its pastor, Sean Wegener, the election of officers and passage of the 2025 budget.
New officers: President Ryan Navy, pastor of River Valley Baptist Church in Catlettsburg, Ky.; First Vice President Jeff Canterbury, pastor of First Baptist Church in Ceredo, W. Va.; Second Vice President Matt Magness, pastor of Freedom Baptist Church in Nutter Fort, W. Va.; and Recording Secretary Tiana Rucker, a member of Good Shepherd Baptist Church in Scott Depot, W. Va.
Messengers approved a $1,664,661 budget for 2025, reflecting a 7% increase over the 2024 budget. The budget includes an anticipated $1,389,319 from West Virginia churches in Cooperative Program giving.
“Southern Baptist giving through the Cooperative Program provides funding for starting much-needed new churches in West Virginia,” Ramsey said. “This is especially needed as we respond to the growing ethnolinguistic diversity in our state. Seeding new evangelism and discipleship opportunities is one of the very strategic ways Cooperative Program funds are utilized in West Virginia.”
West Virginia Southern Baptists cooperate in turn to continue the spread of the gospel, such as in short-term mission trips this summer to Peru and to Belize, as well as in disaster relief ministry from Vermont to North Carolina.
In addition, West Virginia sent two families — eight individuals — through the International Mission Board this year to missions overseas.
“These missionaries are part of an expanding WVCSB commitment to international partnerships,” Persinger said.
“We are in this together, and our mission is in and through,” said Pastor Seth Polk of Cross Lanes (W. Va.) Baptist Church at the pastors’ conference. “We’ve got to dig in if we want to make a difference. You’ve got to dig in if you want your church to make a difference.”
The next annual meeting of the West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists is set for Nov. 6-7, 2025, at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, W.Va.
Florida Baptists gather to welcome new leader, celebrate God’s work
By Margaret Colson/Florida Baptist Convention
ORLANDO, Fla. — With the theme “A Holy People: Shining His Light in a World of Darkness,” Florida Baptists gathered for the 162nd annual meeting at First Baptist Church in Orlando to welcome a new state convention executive director-treasurer, conduct business and celebrate God’s work throughout the Sunshine State.
In his first sermon at the annual meeting as executive director-treasurer for the Florida Baptist Convention, Stephen Rummage affirmed, “God has placed you where you are that you may know Jesus and that you may make Jesus known.” He called on Florida Baptists to cultivate an evangelistic passion and zeal that drive believers to engage with those who don’t yet know God.
In his sermon as Florida Baptist State Convention president, Mike Orr stated that, as believers pursue holiness, God will be glorified and people will be drawn to Him in faith.
Orr, pastor of First Baptist Church in Chipley, said, “If we are holy people, it will enable us to reach Florida and beyond” with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The meeting drew more than 1,600 in attendance, including 966 messengers representing 445 churches, along with approximately 675 guests.
Budget adoption
Messengers approved a 2025 Cooperative Program goal of $29.5 million to be distributed 51% to Southern Baptist Convention causes and 49% to Florida Baptist Convention causes. The 51/49 split is the same distribution Florida Baptists have used since 2016. The 2025 budget goal is unchanged from the 2024 budget goal.
Challenge 2025
Florida Baptists celebrated Challenge 2025 successes. Challenge 2025 was launched in 2019 by Tommy Green, retired Florida Baptist executive director-treasurer, as a five-year vision for Florida Baptists to reach the nation’s fastest-growing state with the gospel. Since early 2020, Florida Baptists have planted 326 churches, revitalized 617 congregations, baptized 99,224 individuals, reported 348,717 mission engagements and gave $140,238,282 through the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program and $3,461,879 to the Maguire State Mission Offering.
West regional catalyst elected
Longtime Florida Baptist Brian Nall was tapped to serve as West region catalyst for the Florida Baptist Convention. Nall is stepping into his new role Jan. 1, 2025, as Lewis Miller retires Nov. 30 after serving the convention in numerous roles since 2003, most recently as West region catalyst since 2015. Messengers approved a resolution of appreciation recognizing Miller for his “faithful and committed service.”
Officers elected
Four Florida Baptist leaders were reelected to serve as 2024-25 officers of the Florida Baptist State Convention. Mike Orr, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Chipley, was elected to serve his second term as president. David Perez, pastor of Iglesia Casa de Bendicion in St. Cloud, was elected to his second term as first vice president. Layperson Jeffery Crick, a family physician at the Mayo Clinic and member of Fruit Cove Baptist Church in St. Johns, was elected to serve a second term as second vice president. Janey Frost, who serves at The Point Church (Jackson campus) in Pensacola, was elected to a third term as recording secretary.
Other business
A recommendation to change the name of Florida Baptist Children’s Homes, Inc. to One More Child was approved by messengers. This name change requires two votes in subsequent years, and this year’s vote was the second of the two votes.
Messengers approved a resolution of appreciation for Tommy Green, who retired Aug. 16, 2024, after serving as Florida Baptists’ executive director-treasurer since June 2015. Green and his wife, Karen, were also honored with a retirement reception at the conclusion of the annual meeting.
In other business messengers approved a report on new Florida Baptist churches and affiliations and approved a resolution expressing “praise and thanksgiving to God for His blessing over the past 100 years of partnership through the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program.” Southern Baptists will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Cooperative Program in 2025.
The 2025 Florida Baptist State Convention annual meeting is set for Nov. 10-11 at First Orlando.
New vision for MBC shared, new slate of officers elected
By Ben Hawkins, The Pathway
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — During the Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) 190th annual meeting, Missouri Baptists began celebrating 100 years of ministry made possible through the Cooperative Program and looked forward to the future of cooperative ministry within the state.
Coming from 472 churches, 1,064 Missouri Baptist messengers and 265 guests gathered at the St. Charles Convention Center on Oct. 28-29.
Fowler shares new vision for helping churches bring gospel transformation
A year ago, newly elected MBC Executive Director Wes Fowler introduced himself to Missouri Baptists on the annual meeting stage in Springfield. After a year of traveling the state, meeting with hundreds of Missouri Baptists and analyzing data about their churches, Fowler shared his vision for the MBC staff he leads.
“Our pastors, DOMs (Director of Missions), and ministry leaders care deeply about the spiritual condition of our state,” he told messengers and visitors at the St. Charles Convention Center Oct. 28. “A love for the church is evident, and a burden for the lost is sincere.”
Fowler then shared his vision of where he believes the MBC staff should direct its focus in the years ahead. “I believe the role of the convention is quite different than the role of the local church,” he said. “My goal is to position the convention to help local churches fulfill their calling — especially in areas of potential concern.”
Business
Missouri Baptists elected a new slate of MBC officers, which included: President Wesley Vance, executive pastor of Crossway Baptist Church, Springfield; First Vice President Brian Jump, lead pastor of Forest Park Church, Joplin; Second Vice President Justin Perry, pastor of First Baptist Church, Viburnum; and Recording Secretary Richard Young, pastor of South Haven Baptist Church, Belton.
Messengers also approved the MBC’s 2025-2026 Cooperative Program (CP) proposed allocation budget and spending plan, as recommended by the MBC executive board. The proposed budget goal did not change from last year.
The MBC’s 2025-2026 spending plan is based on a $15 million CP budget. This budget sets aside 6% of the total CP giving for “SBC/MBC shared administration” expenses, which are allocated for annuity protections and The Pathway. The proposed “shared” funds amounted to a total of $900,000.
From the remaining CP budget, 36.84% is allocated for Missouri Baptist missions and ministries. These proposed funds amounted to a total of $5,194,737.
Additionally, 23.16% of the total CP budget is allocated for Missouri Baptist entities, including the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, Baptist Homes & Healthcare Ministries, the Missouri Baptist Foundation, Hannibal-LaGrange University, Missouri Baptist University and Southwest Baptist University. These proposed funds amounted to a total of $3,265,263.
The remaining 40% is allocated for Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) causes. These proposed funds amounted to a total of $5,640,000. The budget and national CP allocation remain unchanged from last year.
Any CP receipts above the budgetary goal will be split evenly between MBC and SBC ministries.
Missouri Baptists also approved the following 2025 statewide offering goals: $15 million for CP; $800,000 for the Missouri Missions Offering (MMO); $4 million for the Lottie Moon Offering for International Missions; $2.2 million for the Annie Armstrong Offering for North American Missions; and $150,000 for the World Hunger Funds.
Missouri Baptists also approved budgets for the 2025 Missouri Baptist Missions and Ministries funds, as well as for use of MMO funds collected this year for use in 2025.
Resolutions, motions
Messengers approved five resolutions during the annual meeting, addressing criminal justice, expressing their commitment to Missouri Baptist universities, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Cooperative Program and calling Missouri voters on Nov. 5 to oppose pro-abortion Amendment 3.
Messengers also approved the creation of a task force to aid in the evaluation of a church’s position on certain elements of Baptist identity, especially the office and function of pastoral leaders being limited to biblically qualified men. The motion passed overwhelmingly, with fewer than a dozen “no” votes.
